An educated reader listener is our greatest asset

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3 (NASB)

By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

In less than two weeks since I have been engaged in the dialogue of the inadequacies in reciprocity as it relates to the outright disrespect of the spending power, I have read a number of stories where companies have been court ordered to pay millions of dollars do to their discrimination.

There were two articles in particular that speak volumes to disrespecting the hard earned Black dollars and the “taking of Black people for granted” syndrome; “Fifth Third Bank to pay $21.5 mil in federal auto lending and credit card discrimination case” and BMW to pay $1.6 million; Plus offer jobs to settle Federal Race Discrimination Suit” (read both of them in this week’s Westside Gazette).

If these types of disconcerting behaviors are manipulated on Black consumers when they bring their dollars to unscrupulous businesses/corporations, I can only imagine (and been victim too) what happens to Black owned media when we try to get a fair share of the monies back into our communities.

In a recent forum consisting of South Florida Black-owned media companies, as their national counterpart the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) does, have locked step to reeducate advertisers on how much buying power and concern that we have for NOT spending advertising dollars with us and that doing business with Black owned media is more than worth it.

In my article last week, I said that I would bring to the forefront of how I thought that we (Black owned media) and the Black consumer, could work together to influence the ad agencies and businesses who discount us to begin to “pay it forward”, by showing Good Corporate Citizenship…

There are a number of organized remonstrations, if you will, that speak directly to eliminating Black dollars from the coffers of those businesses that have shown through their corporate elitist actions that they will take and take and take and don’t give NOTHING back until the Federal Government makes them do the right thing.

The Empowerment Experiment (www.eefortomorrow.com) was one of the most assuring ways that guaranteed this one family of spending at least 95 percent of their monies with Black owned businesses, when you have a chance read their story.

The Montgomery County Bus Boycott was one of, if not the greatest, financial crippler to a racist mindset that shut down an entire transit system.

Right here in South Florida, the snubbing of Nelson Mandela by some of the Miami Cuban City officials caused an economic bearing that manufactured the loss of millions of tourism dollars, humiliated elected public officials and centered national attention on the unambiguous disparities of a tedious alienated community.

From confrontations and disrespect, calculated strategies have born the reshaping of ill-fated wishes and the mindset of not being a good corporate citizen by doing what is right-spending dollars with media who’s constituents spend billions of dollars.

The discrepancy between the amount of money Black consumers spend with several businesses namely but not limited to: car dealer ships, food stores, cell phones, pharmaceuticals, house hold appliances, clothes, cosmetics, heck you name it we buy it! And yet you don’t see nearly a smidge of advertising in our media.

And this behavior is seen across the board.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a neuro-brain surgeon to see what has caused the negative actions of those who live off the dollars of others to change-STOP SPENDING YOUR DOLLARS WITH THEM AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

If Black conscious young folk would create a movement to address this issue by using their social media platform to advocate “Black Owned Media Matters” we would begin to see a change immediately. Right now is a most appropriate time because the holiday spending is about to begin. Call, text, tweet, FaceBook, Instagram, Periscope or whatever! Send the message: “Black Owned Media Matters” if we don’t see it in our newspapers or hear it on our radio stations you will not see our dollars in your stores/businesses.

Our church families can join in by having a real conversation with our pastors about the need to reinvest in our communities by keeping the voice of Black owned media alive.

What we have been saying is not a crime nor is it racist. However, it is the TRUTH!

What would happen if all of the Black owned media were to close their doors?

One thing for sure would be the erosion of Black Lives; now does that really matter!

Dear God, in all things I’m asking in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.